An Australian Adventure

An Australian Adventure 2016 Nancy Furumoto & Kim Bridges

Figure 1 The view of Sydney from across the harbor at Taronga Zoo.

Getting Started The trip started in Honolulu, late on a Tuesday after a long day at work.

That wasn't the beginning, of course. The beginning was long ago when Sydney surfaced as the top of the list of places to go in Nancy's head.

The start of a trip is the first motion toward the goal. In this case, it was the taxi ride to the Honolulu International Airport. Not a long drive from our apartment, but symbolic as we were finally departing. Unlike most of our trips, this voyage has lots of unknowns. We've not had much time to plan. We're basing this trip more on instinct and experience from our past travel. We are carrying little; just a backpack and shoulder bag for each of us. That's enough as we have learned that we can survive using a wear-one-carry-one strategy. The important thing is that we are light.

We've got some complex situations ahead and we need to be flexible and able to walk long distances with all of our gear.

The taxi gets us to the airport and we are soon through the entry process.

The Sky Club (Delta Airlines) is a welcome harbor. It has friendly staff, good food and drink, and a place for us to gather ourselves in preparation for the flight. A few hours in the Club lets us shift into travel mode. We leave for our flight fully prepared for the red-eye to the mainland.

Flights these days are all fully booked. We're on a plane from Honolulu to Salt Lake City that is configured, in economy class, to seat two abreast. This works out fine. The video will occupy the first part of the flight and we'll try to sleep for a few hours as we finish the Pacific Ocean leg and travel across the West Coast. Awake again for our Salt Lake City arrival. There is enough time to get some coffee at the SLC Sky Club and to charge our phones. Then back through the terminal to catch the smaller plane to San Diego. This is a short flight by our standards. It is only a couple of hours and we are in Southern California.

Punchy from sleep deprivation. But at our first real destination.

We left our car in the airport economy parking lot as Kim had been in San Diego the week before. We headed to the drop-off point for the parking bus. It wasn't long before the shuttle arrived. Woops; the driver said that we should be in the downstairs area to board but he would let us on this time. Just what we needed. The bus wound around the airport complex and then, finally, to the economy lot. Our car was there and it wasn't long before we are on the streets of San Diego. Before getting on the freeway, however, we stop for some coffee and a pit-stop at a University area Starbucks. It was more than a convenience stop. Then back to the car and we head north to San Marcos.

About an hour later we are at the Chateau in Lake San Marcos. What followed was a three-day whirlwind of meeting with MJ and looking at all the great features of her new residence.

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By Saturday we are ready to leave for Sydney. First, we did our last visit with MJ on this trip. We give her a quick briefing and tell her when to expect us back. Then a coffee top-off at Starbucks and a dash back to the Chateau to prepare the car as it will sit for a month or so. Then, packs on back, we walk to the bus stop on Ranch Santa Fe Boulevard. It is almost a half hour before the bus arrives, right on schedule. Soon, we are at the Encinitas station and waiting for the Coaster to arrive. This is the train that takes us to San Diego. We've done this trip so many times that we have a standard set of "markers" that we use to document our progress as we look out of the train window. Of course we watch the ocean to see the surfers and pelicans (if we're lucky). And the volleyball court, dog day care facility, abandoned-boat yard, add-on lunch room, and Dan Diego’s restaurant. At last, we pull into the Santa Fe Station at the end of the line. We finally feel that we are underway on our trip.

Figure 2 Nancy is ready for the arrival of the Coaster in Encinitas.

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There is a short bus ride from downtown San Diego to the airport. Then there is a long wait, again in a Sky Club, until our flight to Los Angeles.

This period gives us time to relax and get some food and wine.

The flight from SAN to LAX is another familiar route. We've done it many times. This time is no different. We get to LAX and do the tunnel walk from Terminal 6 to Terminal 5. Then wait for a few hours in the LAX Sky Club. Again, it is an opportunity for food, wine and a pit-stop.

We also charge our electronic gear; we want to have our phones working on our arrival in Sydney.

We usually travel on Delta Airlines. On this trip, so far, we've been doing that. But the leg to Sydney and back will be on one of Delta's partner airlines, Virgin Australia. They leave from a different terminal at LAX so we eventually head to a gate that has a shuttle that will get us to the proper departure area without our having to go back through security.

We take a short bus ride around the taxiway areas of LAX and then get off the bus and enter a cavernous, plain terminal. We’re standing there with a few dozen other passengers. We get a passport check and a new boarding card and then head to the interior of the terminal to wait for our flight. After nearly an hour, boarding begins. We get to enter the plane early as we are premium members of Delta. Our seats, 31B and C, are in the regular economy section; we have the middle and aisle seats. It isn't too long before someone comes to claim the window seat in our aisle.

He was quiet and kept to himself for the entire flight.

We depart LAX and head out across the Pacific Ocean. This is about a fourteen-hour flight. You are served a meal early in the trip and another (breakfast) about an hour before arrival. In between, you get to watch some movies and sleep. The seats have little space between rows and when the person ahead of you reclines, their seat comes very close to your face. But that is the reality of airline travel these days (except for An Australian Adventure Page 4

those first-class passengers who had lay-flat seats). We each got through a few movies and then did some fitful sleep. We awakened ourselves as we saw the morning light on our approach to Sydney.

Welcome to Australia.

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Monday – Our Arrival in Sydney Our Sydney arrival was efficient. We did the short walk to the arrivals area (avoiding the temptations of the duty free shops). There are some ePassport terminals; Nancy had seen that we had the right passports to use this service so we did a quick procedure with the terminal and got a card that we then used in a nearby entry gate. This gate uses an automated facial recognition system. You stand still and look at the camera after putting your ePassport receipt into a slot. If you match the photo on file, the gate opens. (Not everyone was being recognized.

We’re very glad that we passed the face-test.) This procedure was a first for us. After this facial-check, we simply walked through the baggage claim area (we only have our backpacks) and on to the customs area.

The customs-screener directed us to the path that took us directly out to the terminal; we've arrived! We are now in Australia.

Our first task is to get some Australian cash at an ATM and then find a shop to buy the Opal Travel Cards (used for the trains and busses). With these two tasks complete, we continue our walk inside the terminal. The train station is at the far end of the terminal and the walking, after sitting for the long flight, is most welcome. We get to the train station and it is not long before we're headed toward downtown Sydney. It is early in the morning on a work day and soon the train has a lot of commuters.

Our train destination is the St. James Station. We know from our map that this is quite close to our hotel. Leaving the train station gets us to a park. Fresh air, big trees, and our first real exposure to the Sydney weather. We've gone from Summer (in SoCal) to Winter (in Sydney). It isn't a bad change. Cool, but not really cold. A little walking and we'll be warmed up.

There are big parks in Sydney. Our walk to the hotel is through two of these parks. Along the park margins are high walls formed by tall office

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towers, a huge church, and some old government buildings. Our focus is on the trees (large, old) and the occasional bed of flowers.

Figure 3 The park near our train station with the Sir Archibald fountain.

Nancy spots that some of the flowers look like Ranunculus. Indeed, they are Ranunculus. What a nice surprise as we’ve gotten two flowering seasons for these plants. (The importance of this observation is another story.)

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Figure 4 Several beds of Ranunculus in the Domain, a large park adjacent to downtown Sydney.

We press on, crossing the freeway on a pedestrian overpass, and then walk a few blocks through a neighborhood until we reach the wharf.

There is our hotel, the Ovolo at Wooloomooloo. The hotel is inside an old warehouse on a wharf. This is a historic site and most of the character of the warehouse has been maintained.

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Figure 5 Nancy walks across the pedestrian bridge that goes over the freeway.

Figure 6 Our destination is the warehouse on the wharf.

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We are much too early to check in to the hotel, but we head into the reception area to test the possibilities. The interior of the hotel is an open area that reaches four stories to the interior ceiling. The temperature is the same as outside as this is a big open area. Fortunately, we're prepared for the cool air. What we need is to make sure that our Figure 7 Tired and relieved that we have arrived at reservation is OK and that we our hotel. Now we have to wait for a room. can have a place to leave our backpacks. The check-in clerk asks us to wait; they are expecting our early arrival and might have a room for us soon. We take up some seats nearby and make good use of the coffee machine.

Figure 8 The hotel lobby. This hotel is really in a warehouse.

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After a bit, the head of the dining area invites us to have breakfast, showing us the spread and explaining the rules.

There is a lot of food, as well as a menu from which we can order something more substantial (at a cost). We had arranged for hotel breakfasts, so we choose from the buffet and have a boiled egg, cheese, Figure 9 Nancy's happy with some food. smoked salmon and sausages.

There is fruit, too, and we take a few pieces. The juice is a combination of red orange and grapefruit. A surprising but delightful combination.

About an hour later, they tell us that they have a room for us.

Wonderful! We head up to the fifth floor (the top of the warehouse building) and enter our room for the first time.

We have a loft suite. This provides an ample living area and bathroom downstairs and a bedroom up the narrow staircase, along with a larger bathroom alongside the bedroom. There are big windows and two skylights so we get a view of the harbor, a park with its huge trees, and the towering city buildings in the background.

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Figure 10 The downstairs of our room. Note the black and white walls. Very nice design.

Our hotel is on an old wharf that is in a small harbor just off of the main Sydney harbor.

Woolloomooloo Wharf, also known as Finger Wharf, is the home of the Ovolo Hotel, some residences, and a set of fine restaurants. This structure is the longest timber-piled wharf in the world. It was completed in 1915 and served for many years as an export center for wool. The change in shipping technology resulted in the wharf laying derelict for a while and it required strong public outcry to save it from demolition.

Fortunately, it was renovated into the fine location that we are enjoying.

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Figure 11 The front of the Ovolo Woolloomooloo Hotel.

Figure 12 The hotel seen from the side opposite our room, viewed near sunset.

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If you walk to the west side of this harbor, you are on a spit of land that reaches out and is elevated a bit above the water. This is part of the "Domain," a large garden that sits alongside the Royal Botanical Garden. In many ways, it is an extension of the RBG. At the tip of this spit is Mrs. Macquarie’s seat, a ledge cut into the rock where the Governor's wife liked to sit and enjoy the view. Now, the view is even better as you can see the Sydney Opera House from this location.

Figure 13 An early morning view from our room.

Once we’ve done a full scan of the room, it is time to draw the curtains shut (surprise: they have power closers so you just press a button). We need a serious nap. Our bodies are way off schedule. And the bed is so comfortable.

Once refreshed and showered, we see that we have most of the afternoon available. We don’t want to waste time.

We head out. The park that we could see from our room is our first walking goal. Getting there is a straight-forward task as there are paved trails. What we didn't expect was the number of people who are out jogging on these paths. Keeping to the left is a necessity. (We need to keep reminding ourselves to stay left and the traffic in Australia, both cars and walkers, are on what instinctively seems to be the “wrong” side.)

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The views along our walk include some urban/industrial areas such as a swimming club with a huge pool and several large Australian Navy ships docked along the shore. But mostly we are focused on the huge trees and the unusual birds. Seeing the Australian Ibis and the Sulfurcrested Cockatoo are two of the big surprises. There are Common Mynas and the Silvereye (virtually identical to the White-eye that we have in Hawaii). Plus, some birds that we've yet to identify.

Figure 14 The cove that is adjacent to the Royal Botanic Garden. There is just a hint of the Sydney Opera House on the right.

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Figure 15 The dense vegetation of the Royal Botanic Garden.

Our walk reached the point at the harbor's edge and then we headed back toward the city center around a large bay. Soon, we were in the Royal Botanic Garden proper. The plants in the RBG become more varied and denser; names and descriptions give us good information (as is common with botanical gardens). We wander without much design. There are lots of paths, some through dense plantings and large canopy trees and other times through open areas with expansive lawns.

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Figure 16 There are a lot of people in the Royal Botanic Garden.

Figure 17 An Australian White Ibis drinking from a fountain in the garden. These have become common birds in Sydney.

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Figure 18 Tulips are about the only obvious flowers in the garden.

The season is still Winter so we don't expect many flowers. The garden has some nice beds of red and white tulips. That’s a good sign that Spring is coming.

We're on the lookout for native Australian vegetation. In particular, we want to see the Banksia plants. We're not disappointed. While this is not the optimal flowering period, there are enough remnant flowers and a few new ones to fulfill our expectations. This group of unusual plants has some species that are shrubs while others are large trees.

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Figure 19 The Sydney Opera House. This iconic building has five performance venues.

Walking through the garden eventually takes us to the Sydney Opera House. This is a familiar architectural icon. Even though we've seen it in so many photos, it is a delight to see it in person. There are people all over the area as this is one of Sydney's tourist magnets. We walk on, eventually doubling back through the Garden.

The Royal Botanic Garden is just 200 years old and they built a new structure (and exhibit) for the celebration. It is called the "Calyx." We walked by it but didn't enter as we are very near the closing hour. We'll come back as this looks like an interesting place.

The RBG has a lot of specialty areas. We visited a few of these, like the succulent garden, as we headed generally toward our hotel. Besides enjoying what we are seeing, we get an increasing feeling that we need to come back and look into the garden in more depth. There is a lot here.

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Figure 20 Nancy on the prop roots of a Moreton Bay fig tree.

There are a lot of large fig trees in the garden. These huge trees have a great spreading canopy and a tangle of prop roots at the base. We find a perfect specimen that reminds us of the tree (at Kauai’s National Tropical Botanical Garden) that was used in the filming of Jurassic Park. Time for photo op.

Back to the hotel for Happy Hour. We decide it is time to celebrate.

After all, we are finally doing the trip that we’ve wanted to do for so long. What kind of wine? Sparkling wine, of course. Add some pupus and it seems like a light dinner. Our bodies are a little too confused to know for sure.

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We skip a formal dinner in favor of heading back to the room early. The hotel has given us some "welcome" food (popcorn, nuts and chocolate truffles). These snacks adequately fill in the empty tummy spaces.

Sleep, again.

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Tuesday – The Coastal Walk Nancy has found out how to work the room’s espresso machine. That provides a different, but welcome, morning coffee wake-up.

After getting dressed for the day we head to the hotel’s breakfast area.

We just need to tell them our room number and we’re welcomed into the buffet area. This is a good spread, as we discovered yesterday. We each fill a plate, mostly with high-protein items and fruit. Getting our breakfast here every day will save us both time and money. This is a good feature of the hotel.

The plan for the day is to do a long coastal walk. The seaside to the east of Sydney is noted for its many beaches. There is a long walkway that connects all of the beaches and coastal cities. It is good weather now. It is time to do this top-of-the-list activity.

Sydney has a good transportation system. We've already experienced the subway system on our trip from the airport to town. We can use the same Opal cards to pay for trips on the bus. The maps show that the closest transit connection is near the St. Martin station. This station is located just a short walk across a nearby freeway overpass, across the parks and into downtown.

This is our first real venture in the urban core. The local term for this area is the CBD (Central Business District). It has the usual hustle and bustle of any major downtown area. Our destination, the bus transit point, appears to be in front of a TV station. There are a lot of busses, many of them double busses, stopping at this location. Sometimes there are three or four alongside the curb. None of them has had our route number and we are wondering if we are even on the correct side of the street. There are busses traveling the other direction across the street, but it doesn't look like it is a major stop. So we hang in and, after a while, a

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bus does appear with the correct route number and it stops where we are standing. We board, swipe our Opal card, and take a seat.

We're off on a long bus trip east from the CBD through the suburbs, and eventually to a quiet seaside town. This gives us a chance to better see the overall structure of this part of Sydney. We pass interesting shopping areas, sports fields, a race track and a lot of residential areas. Houses, mostly, but a few tall condominiums. Monitoring our progress on a cellphone map using GPS lets us know where we are and helps us anticipate when we need to get off the bus.

Our goal is to start at Congee and then walk north to Bondi Beach. The travel guides usually describe this walk in the opposite direction, but one book says that it is better to go from south to north. We're trusting their advice.

Figure 21 The beach at the center of Congee. Very neat and tidy. But where are the people?

Congee is a good place to start. The bus drops us off a few blocks away from the ocean. And when we arrive at the walkway, we find a nice curved bay with a wide sandy beach and a blue ocean with some small An Australian Adventure Page 23

breakers. The city sits well back from the beach behind a grassy park filled with Cook Island Pines. The walkway is broad and there are a lot of people out walking. Some are towing children; others are being led by dogs. The beach itself doesn't have very many people. It is, after all, a working day in the Winter. The few surfers are wearing wet suits.

The walkway traces the margin of the bay and then heads up and out around a headland. This whole stretch of the coastline is a series of bays flanked by headlands. Some bays are broad, like we've already seen at Congee. Other bays are very narrow. The walk provides good exercise.

Not just because of the distance, but also as you go up and down as you transition from ocean level beaches to high viewpoints on the headlands.

This is an ideal way to stretch out muscles that have become lazy during the long flights.

Figure 22 The bay at Congee as viewed from the headland on the South.

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We do the usual looking at the ocean conditions, wildlife, and the flora.

The ocean is mostly clear and it is nice to see the multi-colored blue water. We're already alert to the similarities and differences in birds; the familiar species include the common myna, spotted dove and pigeon (rock dove). We see a few more new species but this isn't the time to stress over bird identification.

Figure 23 A colorful Rainbow Lorikeet eats a Banksia flower.

What we're really looking for are the Banksia plants. These are the unusual relatives of the Proteas that surprised Sir Joseph Banks, the naturalist aboard Cook's first voyage to Australia. We're just north of Botany Bay, named in honor of this sort of discovery. This isn't the An Australian Adventure Page 25

flowering season for the Banksia. None the less, we can spot a number of different species which are holding on to now-dried flowers. It is easy to imagine the beauty of these trees when they are in full flower.

Figure 24 Not all of the bays have beaches. This bay is a place to store and launch skiffs.

There are a couple of life guard stations along the route. These are usually single buildings on a beach. They are labeled as a "surf lifesaving club," although this designation varies a bit. These are old voluntary institutions that, according to reports, function both for life saving and competition.

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Figure 25 There are some beautiful homes perched on the coastal cliffs.

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We spot a few beachside swimming pools along the route. Each of them had at least one person who is swimming, even though the ocean is conveniently nearby.

There is a bowling club (the Closely Bowling and Recreation Club) along the path that had quite a Figure 26 Swimming at the beach. Your choice of pool or few women lawn bowlers. ocean.

This isn't a sport that we see very often. The Club website says that "the beer is always cold, the BBQ works and the members are always close by to lend a helping hand." Sounds like a great place. The view that they have is terrific.

Figure 27 Women bowling at this beautiful seaside location.

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Just beyond the bowling club site we encountered a detour in the coastal path. A monster sea storm (rain, high tides) caused a 50-meter chunk of a cliff to collapse in June, 2016. This was a particular threat to the Waverley Cemetery as lots of headstones are very close to the collapsed section. A temporary route goes through this unusual cemetery. The tightly packed headstones date back to the 1870s. The cemetery’s website indicates that there are some 50,000 graves here. A sign at the entrance to the cemetery asks that photographs not be taken (unless given permission). So we comply with that request even though this site is clearly photo worthy. As an alternative, photos are available on the cemetery's website: www.waverleycemetery.com.

Figure 28 A rocky section of the coastline.

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Figure 29 The coastal walkway goes up and down lots of stairs.

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Figure 30 The spectacular view from one of the many cliffs along the coast.

There is another area of the coastal trail that has been damaged and is under repair. This section is just before Bondi Beach, the end of our hike. We were diverted up a steep climb to the cliff top. The walk continued through the residential area for a few blocks. Then we headed down toward the Bondi Beach.

It is time for lunch so we scout the ocean-side restaurants before finally settling on a place offering fish and chips. We order two fish alternatives (both of which are probably imported) and eat these while drinking a local beer. Good, but probably not the best that we've found.

(Newfoundland and Scotland have had the best fish and chips, so far.)

However, it hits the spot. Time to head back to the Hotel.

The bus stop is conveniently located across the street from the restaurant. It is just a short wait until a bus arrived. The return trip again wanders through some of Sydney's residential communities until we reach the CBD and exit across the street from where we had taken the outbound bus. Then a short walk back to the hotel.

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Time for a nap as we've just done a lot of walking and we're still not on the Sydney time zone.

Whoops! We slept through the hotel's happy hour. No free wine and pupus for us tonight.

We're hungry and it is time for dinner. There are a number of restaurants just outside the hotel along the wharf. Checking them out is easy as we just need to walk along the wharf and look at what people are eating at the outdoor tables. There is quite a bit of variety, ranging from Aki's Indian Restaurant (high on the review list but often nearly empty), through steak (Kingsleys Steak and Crabhouse), and Chinese. We settled on Criniti's Woolloomooloo, and Italian venue. Pizza is sold by the length (?!?) so we order half meter. The length comes from the fact that the pizza here are not round; they are a constant width and therefore can be as long (up to 2 m) as you want. It was a good pizza but a little more than we could finish. That's fine as we can take the remains back to our room and chill them overnight in the beverage refrigerator. Something to save for breakfast.

It has been a big day. Time to sleep.

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Wednesday – Aquarium and a Zoo Mornings start with coffee in the room. There is a nice espresso maker that takes pods. Nancy's found a way to have the machine add a little extra water so that it seems more like a "real" cup of coffee. We also have a bottle of juice. Sometimes apple, other times orange. Then we get dressed and then head downstairs to the breakfast area. Today we pick about the same items from the buffet that we have been choosing.

Except today we skip the toast and croissant because we ate the left-over pizza. It is a good way to start the day.

Today we are headed to the Sydney Aquarium. But on the way we want to stop by the Sydney Tower Eye. This is the tallest building in Sydney.

We are not headed there for the view but to check out the shopping center (another Westfield) that surrounds the base of the tower. So we take the increasingly familiar walk across the freeway overpass and through the parks. Then we wander a bit on the periphery of the CBD until we reach the entrance to the shopping center.

We're looking for the Icebreaker store. (We like to wear Icebreaker clothes as they are Merino wool and can withstand three days – or more – of use before they need to be washed.) There are a lot of high-end fashion stores here filling several floors of the shopping center. A quick check on the center's directory points us downstairs and we're soon inside the Icebreaker store. We don't really need anything but we've often purchased an item or two out of brand loyalty. Today we are traveling light so we head back out with the intention of returning to the store later in our trip.

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Figure 31 The Sky Tower Eye is easy to spot from almost anywhere in the CBD. An Australian Adventure Page 34

The Sydney Aquarium is just a few blocks away on Darling Harbor. As with much of the CBD, we pass by a mix of modern skyscrapers and old buildings. These contrasting styles blend well and give Sydney's urban core the structures needed for contemporary commerce while preserving the visual styles of the past.

It is easy to recognize the Aquarium as there are a lot of flags on the bridge (something must be here) and a lot of school children sitting around. Schools here dress their students in uniforms. There is a lot of variety between schools. But within a group, all of the children are dressed identically, save for the backpack.

Purchasing the admission ticket requires a decision. There are five associated attractions, three at this location and two elsewhere. The price per attraction decreases with the number purchased. We are interested in three of the attractions and the price structure induces us to buy the five attraction bundle. We can spread the visits out over the period of our stay, so it seems like a reasonable option.

The Aquarium is our primary destination so we head there first. There are, of course, a lot of children visiting at the same time. That's OK as they really need to learn about the oceans and its creatures. We go with the flow. We feel that we've developed a critical eye when it comes to large public aquaria as we've visited many of them over the years. The Sydney Aquarium is off to a poor start as the display tanks are often small and are sometimes missing the animal described on the sign. The water in the larger tanks is not clear. Cloudy water is a characteristic that will persist in all of the big tanks that we see. Can they be pulling water directly from the harbor? We're not used to seeing tanks kept in this condition and it is, quite frankly, very disturbing. We continue on, walking on a prescribed path from one area to another. There are tunnels through some of the tanks but these are not nearly as effective as we've seen in other aquaria. The water is too turbid and the mix of fish just doesn't seem right. There are a number of areas where we walk up An Australian Adventure Page 35

switchback ramps to get either up to a higher level or down to areas below. These are quite sterile gaps between exhibits. The highest viewing area overlooks the two dugong "runways." One dugong was said to be off-exhibit as it was getting its period health checkup. That meant that one of the runways was empty of interesting animals.

Figure 32 Students gather to hear about dugongs.

The runway on the other side, however, had a dugong. There are a lot of signs around the periphery that you can read as you move through this exhibit. They are pretty good and talk about both the dugongs and their habitat. Seagrasses are identified as the habitat and the signs are fairly accurate. Interestingly, with all of the emphasis on seagrass, there is none to be seen.

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Figure 33 One of the two dugong runways. The dugong cruises back and forth.

There is a small staff in a stall at the end of the runways. Their job is to prepare food for the dugongs. The diet is mostly lettuce. Lots and lots of lettuce. They stuff lettuce leaves into a grid-like structure and then put this into the water. Presumably the dugong eats the lettuce from this structure. We didn't see the feeding but did see the lettuce going into the water.

When asked about seeing living seagrass, one of the dugong feeders said that there were three seagrass species and they didn't grow well enough to feed to the dugongs. That was a wrong answer as there are more than fifty species (many in Australia, one of the centers of diversity). And we weren't promoting them as food. It is just that with all of the discussion An Australian Adventure Page 37

of seagrass on the information panels, it seems logical that you could see what they are talking about. (And they can be grown in an aquarium.)

Figure 34 The walls have lots of information about dugongs and their natural habitat.

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Heading downstairs we could see the one display dugong better from an underwater viewing window at the end of the runway. Seeing a dugong is a treat. They are not very common.

Figure 35 The dugong can be seen on the right side near the underwater tunnel.

There was another tunnel and some more tanks to view. Sharks and rays have become the focus.

Finally, the corridor opened into a room with a fairly large viewing window. We had gotten ahead of a pack of school children at this point and we were able to enjoy the "big view" into a tank in relative tranquility.

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Figure 36 A large acrylic wall gives a good view of a big tank.

Overall, the design and maintenance of this aquarium were a disappointment. It provides the children with some exposure to marine life. And there are a lot of explanations on the walls that have some educational value. But it seems that the institution is underfunded and constrained by its location.

Next up: some lunch. We're in a very tourist area and our choices seem limited. If we head into town -- just a block or two away -- we'll likely be competing with the downtown lunch crowd. Here, at least, we can get something simple and quick. We share three pork sliders and each have a beer. That's good enough to hold us until dinner.

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We are now ready to use our zoo ticket. This zoo is adjacent to the Sydney Aquarium. Overall, this exhibit seems better than the aquarium.

We enjoy seeing the exhibits and feel that we're getting some good exposure to animals that are typical of Australia. The zoo is contained in a relatively small footprint on the edge of the harbor so there are constraints on the sorts of exhibits that it can have. But after about two hours of wandering we feel satisfied that we've gotten value for the price of admission.

Time to head back to the hotel. We're a bit tired at this point. We've been on our feet for hours and most of the time we have been walking. After some rest we get our dirty clothes together and take them to the hotel’s (free) washing machines. They even provide free soap. The wash cycle is an hour long and we've timed this to match the hotel's Happy Hour.

We can relax with a glass (or two) of wine and something to nibble as our clothes are being washed. We met the hotel's Group Executive Chef, Gavin Berrecloth. He is very nice and we had a good chat.

Figure 37 Harry's Cafe de Wheels, the hot spot for buying pies.

The wash cycle was then done so we put our clothes into the dryer and dashed next door to Harry's CafĂŠ de Wheels.

This was once a "food truck" but is now a stationary food stand nearly adjacent to our hotel. This is a classic dining experience.

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Harry's has been serving pies for more than seventy years. These are Australian classics. Basically, they are mostly meat in a broth inside a pastry shell. Some of the pies are then topped with mashed potatoes and/or mashed peas with gravy on top. The signature pie is the "Tiger."

It has the potatoes, peas and gravy. We got one of those. We also got a Chicken Roll. We took these treats back to the room and enjoyed them along with some beer from the room's mini-bar.

Figure 38 The Tiger Pie, a beef pie topped with mashed potatoes, mashed peas and gravy.

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Figure 39 Nancy likes this "in room" dinner.

Figure 40 Kim toasts with one of the hotel-supplied bottles of beer.

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Thursday – The Big Zoo Across the Harbor Similar start to the day. We're watching the weather quite closely.

Yesterday, it was supposed to have some late afternoon showers but they didn't materialize. Today is predicted as clear and the sky is mostly free of clouds. It is perhaps the bluest sky yet.

Taronga Zoo is across the harbor from downtown Sydney. Our adventure started with a walk through the Botanic Garden (in via the main gate this time, next to the herbarium). Then down a street, down some stairs and we were at the Circular Quay. There is a lot of boat traffic here with several types of ferries coming and going. The ferry routes seem to be a popular and efficient way to get to different parts of the harbor.

We didn't wait long for our ferry to Taronga Zoo. It is a direct run that takes you near the famous Sydney bridge and the Sydney Opera House.

The dock is adjacent to both a bus stop and a tram. We got on the bus for the short ride up the hill to the zoo entrance. We probably should have taken the tram as the bus cost a few dollars and the tram is free; even more important, the tram gives you a good overview of the zoo.

The Taronga Zoo is just 100 years old. It is large (about 50 acres) and occupies a steep slope facing the harbor. You get around on wide paths that are shaded by big trees. Wikipedia documents the changes in the zoo over the years from an amusement park to a conservation-oriented, open-cage institution. You certainly feel the new emphasis as the different conservation programs are highlighted and many of the caged areas let you wander inside with the animals. There are a lot of zoos that could learn these lessons from Taronga.

We spend most of the day at the zoo. There were hordes of small children organized into groups that wore matching clothes. By early

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afternoon, these groups had thinned out and it was possible to wander in a much quieter setting.

Perhaps the highlight of the zoo is the platypus exhibit. The platypus is the “logo� of the zoo. The one animal that we saw was very active as it swam back and forth in a long tank. We also saw it climb up a waterfall; these were demonstrations of its dual claw and webbed hand versatility.

Figure 41 The Taronga Zoo free-flight bird arena with the harbor and city of Sydney as a backdrop.

We like big birds and we weren't disappointed; there was a huge white pelican. We also had an up-close encounter in an open cage with an emu. A free-flight bird show was very well done. This was also a "close encounter" moment as an owl flew low enough that it grazed Kim's head.

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Australia has a lot of snakes, many of which are very venomous. The reptile exhibits were very good. Fortunately, these were not open cages.

However, we did encounter a couple big reptiles wandering outside the cages.

We spent a lot of our time in the area with Australian animals. There was another Tasmanian Devil (we had seen two in yesterday's downtown zoo).

Figure 42 All of the kangaroos were sleeping or listless. Bummer.

The kangaroos were lazy but the wallabies were pretty active. The koalas were not very easily seen; there is a special viewing event but we were not there at the right time. Anyway, for these animals, too, we'd had a good viewing yesterday.

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Figure 43 There were lots of groups of school children. Each group had its own special costume.

Overall, the emphasis seems to be on the quality of the exhibits, not the quantity of the animal species on show. The chimpanzee enclosure was large and had a lot of structure to provide diverse experiences for the animals. We didn't see any big cats (although the zoo website implies that they have a lion). Missing also were a lot of the other African grassland animals. That is consistent as these species require large habitats if they are to be kept in their natural conditions. Frankly, we didn't miss them. Instead, we were impressed with exhibits like the nocturnal animals; that's something that few zoos attempt.

By mid-afternoon, we felt that we'd seen most of what the Taronga Zoo offers. Time to ride the Gondola to the harbor edge so that we could meet the ferry for the trip back to downtown Sydney. We were ready for An Australian Adventure Page 47

a fuel-stop at the Royal Botanic Garden cafe. We shared a seriously burnt beef-sandwich and washed it down with a local beer. Then back to the hotel.

We did the usual Happy Hour at the hotel and then decided we should try The Bells Hotel pub just across the street.

They advertise "traditional bar food." But once inside the bar, we saw that there were Figure 44 We tried to eat at the bar in this hotel but the smoke, among no empty seats other things, kept us away. and the place reeked of smoke (although it said "no smoking"). Nix that idea. Back to the hotel.

The head chef, Gavin, had said that we should eat at the hotel and we thought it worth a try. We weren't too hungry so we decided to split a hamburger and fancy salad. Both were fantastic. It was still Happy Hour so we had another glass of wine (a Cabernet/Merlot mix). Toward the end of our meal, Gavin stopped to chat. He offered us a choice of deserts, "on the house." We split a liquorish treat that was a combination of ice cream, fresh and freeze-dried fruits. Wonderful tastes and lots of interesting textures. A real winner.

Tired. Full day. Time for a few minutes of TV and then sleep.

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Friday – Rain We knew that today would be a rainy day. It started sometime during the night. We could hear the rain pounding on the roof. It wasn't a surprise to look out in the morning and see Sydney's tall buildings shrouded in clouds and people walking nearby under umbrellas. Even the sea gulls look like they are taking a day off.

A slow start seems to be appropriate in this weather. The usual expresso in the room and then downstairs for a filling breakfast. It is easy to get hooked on smoked salmon, ham, tomatoes, and tasty toast (along with a few other goodies). Back to the room to survey the situation and plan the day.

Rain. Sometimes the downpour is so heavy rain that it blocks the view of the tops of Sydney's tall buildings. Rain pounds on the roof. But we're prepared. Rain jackets and rain pants are standard items in our light-weight travel kit. This strategy, one of not using an umbrella, hasn't been tested lately as most of our recent trips have been rain-free. But not today. This is a wet day.

The Art Gallery of New South Wales is nearby. We like to visit art galleries, so this is a good day for doing some indoor viewing. Out we go and our clothes, by design, shed the rain. In less than ten minutes we are in the gallery and ready to see what they have to offer.

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Figure 45 The Art Gallery of New South Wales, in the rain.

This is a free venue, except for a traveling show (Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera) and the three portrait prize shows. They don't let us store our wet jackets so we fold them into small bundles (note to self: bring the stuff sack next time) and head into the galleries. This gallery has a small collection of 19th century European art, and a larger collection of Australian artists from the same period. The real strength of the gallery, however, is the set of galleries with visiting or modern collections. There was a Japanese room ("Yoshitoshi: One hundred aspects of the moon"), a calligraphy collection, and a huge video presentation ("Manifesto") as well as smaller galleries with contemporary paintings, installations and photography. Overall, it is a very satisfying visit as we were exposed to a new range of materials. We skipped the paid collections and that was OK. An Australian Adventure Page 50

Figure 46 People in gallery spaces provide the visual effect of a work of art.

Figure 47 Students sit patiently as they learn about a contemporary work of art.

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The gallery's lunch room was packed. None the less, we needed fuel so we braved the line and had a peppered beef pie, squash soup and bottle of apple cider. We ate indoors, like the rest of the people, as it was still raining outside. There were half a dozen Rainbow Lorikeets patrolling the outdoor dining area, mostly taking shelter under the awnings. It is a treat to see unusual birds even if they are behaving badly (read: table raiders).

Figure 48 The pot pie at the Art Gallery of NSW. It was a good lunch choice.

Mid-afternoon and it was time to retreat to our hotel. This day was a good break from the long walks that we've been having. Some reading and a short nap; a welcome indulgence.

Happy hour today (as it is Friday) is very busy downstairs. We grab a glass of red wine and a few nibbles and head for our out of the way An Australian Adventure Page 52

booth. We had simply asked for a "red" and should have been more specific. We got a Pinot Noir, not the Cabernet/Merlot that we'd had on previous nights. None the less, it was OK and we had a good chance to do some forward planning while we talked and sipped the wine.

The dinner at the hotel (the restaurant and bar is called the "Lo Lounge") last night had been outstanding. So our choice tonight was easy (as it was still raining outside). Let's do it again. But perhaps not so much food tonight as we were stuffed last night. A salad (avocado, lettuce, chicken, lavosh chips, bacon, toasted hazel nuts, etc.) and a flank steak.

Two plates to be shared. Along with another glass of wine, this time the Cabernet/Merlot. Just right. Full. Happy.

Time to go back to the room. The rain has stopped and the weather radar hints at clear skies for a while although the streets are still wet and the tall buildings are still shrouded in clouds.

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Saturday – Gardens and Museums The rain wasn't gone at sunset, as we had imagined. There were some heavy showers during the night. This was nothing more for us than an occasional disturbance in our sleep. By dawn, the skies are pretty clear.

Just a few lingering clouds.

Today is a bit of a slow start. The places that we want to visit don't open until 10 AM, so there is no reason to move too quickly. We head to breakfast, our now usual fare downstairs, and slowly build energy for the day. Then it is time to get moving. First stop: see if we can look inside the St. Mary's Cathedral.

The Catholic church has a strong physical presence near downtown Sydney. The two tall (read: very tall) spires on St. Mary's Cathedral can be seen from far away. This church is located alongside Hyde Park, just a block away from the edge of the tall buildings that make up the Central Business District (which is universally called the "CBD"). Because of the separation with the park, the visual importance of the church seems enhanced.

Figure 49 St. Mary's Cathedral near downtown Sydney.

We are able to enter St. Mary's Cathedral as there were no services at the time.

It is huge, not unlike the Catholic enclaves in so many places in the world.

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the upcoming (tomorrow) day to honor St. Theresa's Canonization Day. A special time to view the crypts (for Aus$5). We didn't take any pictures as there was a sign saying that you need to arrange with the Cathedral Shop (which was nowhere in sight). Typical of the Catholic church.

The next stop, as we are approaching the 10 AM opening hour, is the Royal Botanic Garden’s Calyx facility. On the way, we walk by some of Sydney's oldest government buildings. The area now known as Hyde Park was once more of a staging ground and encampment area for the military and immigrants. We saw the site of the barracks which had several important roles in the settling of this area. Adjacent to this are a number of significant buildings including the NSW Parliament, the Hospital and the Library. It is interesting how the government has maintained these historic buildings, generally with the philosophy that they should be "living buildings," not just relics. The outward appearance remains the same, but we are pretty sure that there has been a lot done to the interiors to make them functional with the modern requirements.

The Calyx exhibit (actually, it is a new building which houses exhibits) is not far from the RBG garden entrance that we've chosen. On the way across the garden there is an unusual display of artifacts on a large grassy area. The sign nearby says that this is part of an "installation" that is being prepared. We pass by, wondering how these hundreds of objects will be used as the artwork is created.

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Figure 50 Topiary in the courtyard of The Calyx at the Royal Botanic Garden.

The Calyx is a modern structure. We've seen it before, but now it is time to enter. It is a bit pricey (Aus$15 regular admission; Aus$9 for seniors).

But the fact that this was one of the centerpieces of the garden's 200th anniversary, puts it on our "to do" list. We are among the first visitors for the day. (We've been to a few places that have had crowds of people -- often very noisy people -- so this is a welcome change.)

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Figure 51 Kim stands alongside the huge green wall at The Calyx.

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The exhibit is really two parts. The static feature is a very long and tall green wall. This is really very well done. There is not only variety in the plants that grow on this wall, but they have chosen plants with different colors and textures to make designs. Some of the designs tie into the theme of the other part, the story about all of the facets of a particular species. This theme happens to be chocolate. Every aspect of chocolate is explored as displays, often with living materials, arranged alongside the living wall. This was an ethnobotanical extravaganza. It was very educational, if you were willing to take the time to do the reading. But it was more. This was a sensory-rich experience. Artifacts, such as bottles with preserved materials, were arranged so that the colors (or, more accurately, the tones) ranged from dark to light as you looked at the bottles from the bottom to the top.

Overall, it appeared to be not only educations, but a sensory delight.

(Whether it was worth the admission price is another issue.)

We leave the Calyx and wander a bit in the garden. A huge fountain grabs our attention. This one is a memorial to Captain Arthur Phillip, the first governor of NSW. Figure 52 The Captain Phillip memorial.

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It is time to leave the garden and head to town. Our downtown goal is the Icebreaker store in the shopping center below the Sydney Tower. On the way we pass by the David Jones store. The window displays are filled with flowers (really filled!). This is clearly an "event." Inside, the floral displays ae equally eye-catching. Thousands of flowers; roses, orchids, and many other species. All in arrangements that fill the spaces between (or sometimes over) the retail sales areas. Lot of people are coming in, as we did, to catch the sights and to take pictures. According to the signs, this event lasts from September 1 to 11. For people in Sydney, it must be a strong and traditional signal that Winter is ending and Spring is starting.

Figure 53 The extravagant display of flowers at the David Jones store was breathtaking.

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We didn’t buy anything at the Icebreaker store, although we thought we might grab a shirt or two. The things we wanted were not available in our size. Anyhow, we've got enough stuff. Keep moving.

The next stop is the Australian Museum. It is not far away. The city streets are crowded, even though this is a Saturday. So we head to the paths through Hyde Park. We've seen the ANZAC memorial on a previous bus trip and we know that it is near the museum. So we head down the central path beneath huge fig trees. These are old trees and there are signs that say that we should be careful after heavy rains or winds as the trees may fall. There is even a very descriptive sign that says that the trees were planted some 80 years ago on a thin layer of soil after some nearby excavation and land filling. Many of the trees have been removed recently as the environment does not support the longterm growth of these huge trees. The roots don't have enough room and the trees rot from the inside. We're lucky to see so many of the old trees.

They form a great "tree tunnel" through the park.

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Figure 54 The ANZAC Memorial, now undergoing renovation, stands alongside a reflection pond.

At the end is a reflecting pond and then the ANZAC monument. The monument is a building that is a memorial to the lives lost in WW I. The memorial building is undergoing a re-visioning so that it better reminds people of the sacrifice that was made by so many people from all over the region.

One of the highlights of the park, at least for us, is the huge statue of Captain Cook. Our travels have taken us to many places where they commemorate this early scientist/explorer/navigator. This is the largest statue of Cook that we’ve seen.

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Figure 55 James Cook, leader of the first Europeans to reach the East coast of Australia.

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Our last major stop for the day is nearby; it is the Australian Museum.

This is not a free attraction (as was the Art Museum). We pay for the regular admission and add on a bit so that we can see the Annual Wildlife Photography Exhibit. We're glad that we did this add-on, as we view this first. There are lots of photos of both species and environments. These are, as expected, world-class images. Most of the prints are 20x30 inches (or so). They are well lit and have good descriptions of the photographer's intent and equipment. We are absorbed by this display; it is well worth the extra money to see these great pictures.

The next thing that we visited in the museum was the dinosaur displays.

These are truly outstanding. The have a great collection and there is a lot of educational information. It is well worth spending time with these specimens. There are a lot of other specialty collections. Their mineral collection is another highlight. Australia has had a lot of mining (gold, copper, lead, zinc, iron, and tin among other things). This means that people have had a lot of chances to uncover some very pretty specimens.

Figure 56 One of the many colorful and interestingly shaped specimens.

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Figure 57 Nancy provides scale for this gigantic dinosaur skeleton.

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The rest of the museum consists of collections of natural history and cultural history materials. This is an old museum, dating from the 1850s, but it looks like it keeps re-creating itself. The emphasis is clearly on education.

We learned a lot from the dinosaur display.

The educational emphasis was everywhere. Other highlights were the galleries devoted to the story of the aboriginal people and birds. We didn't see everything, but we came away – in general – very impressed with the way in which this museum is re-building itself into a modern educational environment while maintaining its priceless collections.

St. Mary’s Cathedral is near the Australian Museum. As we approach this large edifice, we notice that there are three weddings in progress. At least there are three photo sessions near the church steps. They all look like Japanese couples. There is a distinct similarity with these wedding parties. This is reinforced when we spot three absolutely identical old Rolls Royce cars parked at the curb.

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Figure 58 St. Mary's Cathedral must be the site of many weddings.

Figure 59 Just one of three identical, classic cars parked alongside St. Mary's.

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By now, we've walked about 5.5 hours and we're pretty tired of absorbing new information. Time to head back to the hotel.

A bit of rest and then the usual question: What are we going to do for dinner? Tonight the answer is a bit different. Let's get a good bottle of wine (there is a BWS store across the street) and some hot pies (Henry’s CafÊ de Wheels is just down the street). We'll eat in the room tonight.

And this will give us some time to prepare for tomorrow.

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Sunday – The Blue Mountains Up at 5 AM. We need to get to the station to catch the 7:22 AM train to the Blue Mountains. This is too early for the hotel breakfast. There is expresso in the room. That is enough to get us started.

It is a slightly pre-dawn walk from the hotel, across the park and then into St. James station. Behind us, the sun is rising and we get some orange glow in the sky. Just a few people are on the street; mostly it is joggers and bike riders that are out at this hour. We take the train that makes a loop through Sydney and exit at the Central Station. This main station is the home for all of the regional trains.

We're early and hungry, so we search out a place to grab something.

There are some small fast-food sorts of places downstairs from the terminal. We choose one and order a couple of sausage rolls and longblack coffee. Before we are served we get a hint that this might not have been the best choice. There are a couple of spits with "mystery meat" cooking in the corner. Sausage roll? Yup, mystery meat. And the coffee is of similar dubious quality. However, it is time to head to our train so we finish our food and walk back into the station.

We entered the train headed to Mt. Victoria about twenty minutes before departure. That was good as we are soon joined by a lot of people who must have read the same travel advice. The four-car train is soon filled with people who have the same intent. We're all headed to the Blue Mountains.

One of the fellow travelers caught our attention. He is obviously an American trekker-type. He sprawls out taking two seats, even though there is a sign above his head saying that this is a bad thing to do. Lots of people walk by looking for seats but he is oblivious to them. And then he puts his feet up on the seat across from him even though there is a

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sign just above the seat asking passengers to be courteous and not put their feet on the seats. He is so clueless.

The train trip takes two hours to get to the Blue Mountains destination: Katoomba. We get off the train with all of the other adventurers and head straight to the Blue Mountains Explorer Bus kiosk to buy a ticket for the bus and entrance to Scenic World. Expensive, but it seems like the best alternative. You can hop on-and-off these busses so that will give us some flexibility. We get the transaction settled and then head to the bus stop. There is a bus waiting and we're soon on our way. The driver is great. He has a good sense of humor and doles out good advice.

His recommendation: go to the Scenic World stop first. This will let us beat the crowds. So we make that our plan and we are soon at the epicenter of the commercial activity associated with the Blue Mountains.

The Blue Mountain National Park is a vast area. It is bounded on one side by high cliffs. Stretching far to the horizon is an eroded plain, many hundreds of feet below the tops of the cliffs. There are mountain ridges here and there. But the general impression is that you're looking down into a deep and very broad canyon.

The Scenic World infrastructure consists primarily of three means of transport and a series of trails. We took each of the "rides." Two of the rides run between the cliff-top and the areas below. These are steep descents and ascents. One is a cableway and the other is a railway. The third type of transport is what they call a "skyway," basically a gondola that rides a cable across a deep canyon.

We started with the cableway. It took us down to a trail that let us walk through a temperate rainforest. Old trees tower over the trail, along with an understory of tall tree ferns. Big eucalyptus trees, along with huge turpentine trees, and a lot of other native species provide a good way to see this typical Australian forest type. There are a lot of signs on the boardwalk trail so that you know what you are seeing. Our walk took us up and down and around as we went through the forest.

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Figure 60 Nancy on one of the boardwalks that go through the forest floor vegetation at Scenic World.

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Several eucalyptus trees got our particular attention. They were able to date these trees and one pair is thought to be over 120 years old. They reach high above the canopy now. It is interesting to see how quickly these trees can grow.

This area was first developed by coal miners in the late 1800s. They dug miles of tunnels in order to extract the coal.

The coal needed to be lifted from the valley floor to the cliff tops so they devised a steep railway. That is the Figure 61 The two emergent Eucalyptus trees estimated to forerunner of the ride that be over 120 years old. we took today. It whisks you, with astonishing speed, upward through the trees and a few tunnels. It is said to be the steepest incline railway in the world. The ride is quite amazing.

The final ride that we took carried us across the span between two clifftop stations. On the way we passed over a great waterfall. At the end of the trip we again started walking. This time we are going along the clifftop edge. We keep getting great views of the cliffs, forest and mountain ridges. The trail is wet as there were drenching rains two days before.

This isn't a bother as we walk alongside the canyon wall, often either descending or ascending steps as we head to our destination at Echo Point.

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Figure 62 Kim points out a distant feature from the cliff-side trail on the way to Echo Point.

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It is from Echo Point that you can see the geological feature called the "Three Sisters." These are adjacent peaks in a mountain ridge. This is a popular viewpoint and it is very crowded with people when we arrive.

Most of these people are taking the bus from view point to view point.

We prefer to walk. Better sights; more exercise. And many fewer people.

We had gone to Scenic World early on the advice of the bus driver. It was a good strategy. We had been able to take the rides and do the walks in this area almost by ourselves. Right behind us were lots of people and the rides were developing long wait times. There is just a short window to enjoy this area without the crowds and we were lucky enough (or, more likely better advised) to be there at just the right time.

We hop back on the bus at the Echo Point station and ride a short way to where the guidebook says there is a good restaurant. The Rooster Restaurant (again, according to the guide book) has a lunch special that includes a 2 for 1 wine deal. It sounds right as we are low on energy and we need a break from walking. We get there to find that it is a fine French restaurant. There is no obvious indication of the lunch deal that had caused us to choose this restaurant. But the menu is interesting, so we chose to eat here. Nancy has a cassoulet and Kim has the flattop pie (which is seafood inside a bowl with a puff-pastry top). The wine is a nice Australian Sauvignon Blanc. Not cheap (certainly not the deal that we expected), but all-in-all, a very nice lunch.

Then we are back on the bus for a short ride to the Leura Cascades. This is basically a stream that runs through the valley and drops down a series of cascades before falling down a big waterfall. The trail goes alongside the stream and you go down and down and down.

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Figure 63 Nancy stands at some of the cascades.

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Figure 64 You have to reach out a bit with your camera to photograph the Bridal Veil Falls.

The waterfall is called the "Bridal Veil Falls." There are several good overlooks at the end of the trail. Then we need to retrace our steps up the trail to the bus stop. It is a steep climb. We are late in the afternoon at this point. It is time to seriously consider the trip back to Sydney.

There was one more attraction in the Blue Mountains that we had intended to see: Wentworth Falls. There just wasn’t time on this trip.

On reaching the bus pick-up point, we realize that we have about a 20minute wait. We're alongside what appears to be a new walkway with a sign that says that the trail leads to the Leura Station. Since that is our goal, and the distance marker says that it is only 1.3 km, we decide to walk instead of waiting for the bus. The walk is longer than advertised An Australian Adventure Page 75

and it is uphill almost the whole way. But it is a good walk, first through the forest and then through a Leura neighborhood. We get to see a lot of flowering trees and garden flowers. We eventually get to the train station after some huffing and puffing. We are there just in time to realize that we have just missed the train back to Sydney. Never mind. The trains come every half hour.

By the time our train arrived, we had been joined by a lot of people who are headed to the same destination. We are lucky to get seats on the train; this time there aren't two sets together so we sit apart for the twohour ride back down to Sydney. Then it is off across the terminal to the local civic loop train to the St. James Station and then the short walk to the hotel.

The Sydney transportation system uses a NFC card that is tapped on a sensor both before and after a ride. This is what we’ve been calling the “Opal” card. On the trip to the Blue Mountains, we noticed that our card balance (about $20 at the time) wasn't declining. This isn't an inexpensive ride. What happened, apparently, is that we had reached our eight ride/week cap and all further rides for the week are free. Can that be? What a bargain! On reflection, we’re very glad that we took (and paid for) the short bus ride at Taronga Zoo. That saved us a lot of money.

Dinner tonight is a mirror of a previous meal at the hotel. A shared hamburger, fancy tomato salad and wine. No desert this time. Then back to the room. Sleep is much needed.

The day has been a great adventure. We walked a lot. And we saw a completely different side of Australia. A crude comparison would be a visit in the US to the Grand Canyon. These two attractions are different, of course, but the Blue Mountains National Park shares the attributes of huge vistas, dramatic topography and interesting natural history. We're very glad that we didn't miss this highlight of New South Wales.

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Monday – The Last Full Day in Sydney Today has a lazy start. Our agenda is not clear.

A cup of expresso in the room brings us to thinking about the day.

We've not explored some of the outlying areas of the city enough. And we're attracted to the coastal areas. So today looks like it will be a ferry trip to Manly, a famous beach town. But first, time for breakfast in the hotel. Pretty much the same fare. It is good and it will power us until lunch.

The day is clear and the temperature is a bit brisk. Walking up to the Royal Botanic Garden gets the blood flowing and warms us up a bit. The garden is large enough that it is filled with surprises, even though we think that we've already discovered everything.

This time, our walk in the garden gets us to an ethnobotanical section that describes the problems of the "first fleet," those mostly convicts that were sent to Australia for seven year terms. It was difficult for them as the soils were not fertile, the plants not adapted to the Sydney environments and there were plenty of critters who were happy to eat what was planted. It was not a good start for a population that needed to become self sufficient We left the garden and wandered a bit near the gate to see a section of plants that is partly devoted to showing people some alternatives for growing in their own gardens (and lawns). More interesting, however, is that this section of the garden is actually a green roof over the music conservatory. No big trees here as the soil is too thin and the weight of a large tree would be too great. The sign which describes this garden isn't handy to most of the people who are traversing the garden. Too bad as it is a good lesson.

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Then on through the adjacent urban area. Old buildings are sandwiched between towering office complexes. Sydney has done a remarkable job (on superficial examination) of keeping the old with the new.

Our next target is the Circular Quay. It is from here that the ferry system links Sydney's downtown (and train system) to many of the outlying areas around the harbor. We need to do a bit of searching but finally find the departure wharf for the Manly ferry. We swipe our Opal cards and go into the waiting area. We don’t wait long as the ferry is soon ready for boarding and departure. It is a 45-minute trip across the harbor, toward the East and the entrance to the harbor. Manly is nearby and is a calm harbor in which the ferry docks. The water at the ferry terminal is green, however, not a very good sign.

We're soon off the ferry and following a great mass of tourists headed toward the beach. This is a popular destination. The town has a nice feel.

It is just a three block (or so) walk from the ferry to the beach. There are all of the usual "surf culture" brands of stores along the street. What makes it picturesque is that a lot of the buildings are restored old structures and there are lots of big street trees. Finally, we reach the beach.

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Figure 65 A few of the buildings in the quaint downtown area of Manly.

Manly's coast is a long curved beach between two rocky headlands. This is a wide sandy beach. The street coming from the town center takes you a viewing site, near the middle of the beach. The hills on the ends of the beach rise up and those areas are covered with houses. Just behind the sandy beach is a raised area that has broad pedestrian walkway and lawns with tall Norfolk Island Pines. This is a popular place, not just for tourists, but for locals, too. You can tell, as there are a lot of people with small children and dogs.

One of Manly’s features is the surf. This is a historic beach and there is a prominent monument that marks this as a protected surf site. There is even an acknowledgement of Duke Kahanamoku’s visit.

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Figure 66 Nancy reads the inscription on the monument at Manly Beach.

Manly - Freshwater Traditional land of the Guringai people.

Manly and Freshwater have been popular surfing locations for over a century. Numerous significant events in the history of surfing have taken place here over the decades. Body surfing in Australia began here in the 1890s, and board surfing began in 1909. The world’s first official surf patrol boat was launched at Manly in 1907 and the Hawaiian surfer Duke Kahanamoku famously demonstrated board surfing in 1914 at Freshwater Beach. The first World Surfing Championships were held at Manly in 1964. The surf breaks and the surfers of Manly and Freshwater are famous worldwide and the dedication of this site as a National Surfing Reserve is due recognition of its cultural importance.

Dedicated on Saturday, 25 September 2010 SHARE CARE PRESERVE

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We walk North to the far end of the beach. Then we head back South to just beyond the center to see if we can find some lunch. A few of the obvious choices don't look too good on close inspection. We settle for a Mexican place. It has a lot of customers and the thought of fish tacos is strong. We get a street-side table and order fish tacos and a "beef nachos" plate. The tacos are small, but tasty. The nachos fill us up. We wash this down with some good Pacifico beer. Ole!

Figure 67 Fish tacos, nachos and beer. A perfect lunch at Manly.

We walk back toward the ferry on Wentworth Street. We had to grab a few photos, of course.

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Figure 68 Wentworth is a common name around Sydney. Was it a long lost relative?

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Then we are headed to the ferry terminal. We’re in luck, the ferry leaves in just a few minutes. We board and get seats near the front, outside, where we can see the scenery better. The trip back to Sydney seems to go faster and soon we are within sight of the Opera House.

Figure 69 The Sydney Opera House is often best seen from the harbor. Our ferry ride gives us this opportunity.

The ferry docks at the Circular Quay and we head off, walking this time away from the direction of our hotel. We've wanted to see "The Rocks" area and now is our chance.

The area near the Circular Quay is bordered on one side by the cruise ship terminal. The walkway on this side takes you toward the iconic Sydney bridge that spans the harbor. We see some signs that describe the significance of this area in the early history of Sydney (and, by extension, to all of Australia). It was here that much of the city started.

We press on and are soon nearly under the end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is a huge structure.

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Figure 70 Up close, the Sydney Harbour Bridge is an imposing structure. It is also an important link between the communities on both sides of the harbor.

We head back towards the CBD but cross under the highway that crosses the bridge.

The Sydney Observatory is one of those semi-obscure tourist highlights.

It isn't far away we find it quite quickly. You get a different view of the harbor from this elevated vantage point. The Observatory is well worth the stop for the view.

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Figure 71 The view from The Observatory.

But there is more. The Observatory is a free visitor attraction. We are tired, but we summon enough energy to look at some of the exhibits.

This was a key location for not only making astronomical observations, but it was important for collecting weather information and to establish and advertise the time. There is a ball on a mast above one of the buildings that they drop exactly at 1:00 PM every day. In past times this allowed sea captains to set their time pieces accurately. That was essential for navigation. Apparently there are only two places in the world that maintain this tradition.

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We then backtracked a bit so that we could see "The Rocks." This is a very historic part of Sydney that is filled with hotels, restaurants and shops. We are able to soak up a bit of the history and culture, but this is an area that should get a lot more Figure 72 The Rock is filled with historical buildings. attention. That has to go on our list of things to do on our next visit.

Figure 73 One of the features of The Rocks is the places to eat and drink. Lots of empty beer barrels stand outside this old pub.

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Figure 74 Sirius, a landmark building in The Rocks, is nearly empty. One tenant refuses to leave this public-housing building.

We are now nearing the late afternoon. Our one remaining goal is to get the view from the Sky Tower Eye. This is the tall tower in the center of the Westfield Mall. We bought tickets for entry early in our stay and we can't miss this chance to get one last overview of Sydney from on high.

It is a bit of a walk across town to get to our destination. But we're motivated. We get to the mall and find the entrance to the Sky Mall. On entry, we have to endure a short 3D video. Then we are whisked upward in an elevator to the observation deck. The viewing area is a bit crowded. It seems that there are a lot of people waiting for the sunset view. We're happy to see the "golden hour" view and don’t feel that we have the time or motivation to wait until sunset. We snap some pictures and then head down to street level.

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Figure 75 The view from the Sky Tower Eye, looking over the parks, gardens, commercial and residential areas that we have been visiting.

We take the now familiar walk past St. James station and the Archibald fountain. Then we cross the park, take the bridge across the freeway and walk the few blocks to our hotel.

A few minutes to refresh, then we head down to Happy Hour in the hotel's lounge. Dinner? Let's make it easy (and fast) by having the hotel’s shared salad and hamburger. That was a good decision. We are reminded of our few remaining tasks as we then head up to the room.

We need to do a bit of sink-laundry and pack our bags.

We have walked a lot today (Fitbit says more the 20K steps). We created a great experience for the day, even though we started without much of a plan. We expanded our understanding of the city and its history. Our walks took us through more of greater Sydney’s natural beauty. There were opportunities to see details and also enjoy a broad overview from on high.

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We didn’t see everything. But we made a good start. We’ll come back and that time will be better informed.

But now we're very tired and need some sleep so that we're ready for tomorrow's long flight. The alarm is set for 5 AM. It is time to enjoy one last night in Sydney.

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Tuesday - Time to Head Back to the US 5 AM. Time to spring out of bed. We need to stay on schedule and this leaves no time to dawdle. We're mostly packed so our focus is on some coffee (espresso plus water), shower and getting dressed. Tuck the last few things into our packs, load ourselves up and check the room for one last time.

Downstairs and check out of the hotel. Then do the walk to St. Martin's station. There are only a few people out at this hour. These are mostly fitness buffs. We pass by the Ranunculus bed one more time. Just as we arrive at the flower patch, we encounter a gentleman who is dressed quite formally, including a bowler hat. As we pass him we see that he is Asian. He doesn't fit into the scene, especially at this early hour. We wonder about his "story."

Then across the park while saying goodbye to Sir Archibald's fountain.

Into the station. Top up our Opal cards to cover the cost of the ride to the airport. Then onto the train platform. The train isn't very full when it arrives in a few minutes. But as we go through the next several stations the train fills with early morning commuters and a few other travelers.

Most of these other riders exit as we approach the airport. Some get off at the domestic terminal and most of the rest get off with us at the International Terminal.

Time to head through the terminal, first stopping at the line leading to the Virgin Australia check-in counter. We complete our business quickly once we reach the counter as we are not checking any bags. Then we head through the exit formalities and walk to the Sky Team Club. They have an excellent buffet that caters to the many nationalities that visit Australia. We were able to pick up some Nutella and Vegemite.

Full of food and drink, it is time to head to our flight. It is a long walk as our gate is far out on the concourse. There is a passport check and then we enter a large, glass-walled "holding area." There is not much to An Australian Adventure Page 90

do except people-watch as we wait for them to call our flight. We board early as our Delta premier status works again on Virgin Australia. Settle into the seat, let the window-seat passenger in, resettle. We're in for a long flight.

Unlike the flight from LAX to SYD, this leg of our trip is done in "daylight." Well, not exactly. To our bodies, we are traveling during the day as we entered the plane in the morning. The window shades are down and we can't see what is happening as we travel East. But we know that the sun will soon set and much of the trip will be in darkness.

We're glued to the video screens and we pass most of the time watching movies. Food is served a few times so that we're never really hungry.

We each take a short nap or two, but mostly we are awake for the nearly fourteen-hour flight.

We land in Los Angeles early in the morning. It is still Tuesday as we gained a day back when we crossed the International Date Line. The plane takes a while to get to the gate and then we are allowed to deplane.

We've got to be brisk now as the delays have shortened the time we have between the arrival of the flight from Sydney and the departure of the plane taking us to San Diego.

It is a short walk to immigration. We've got Global Entry and with the help of some airport personnel, we find the Global Entry terminals. It takes just a moment to go through (hold passport on one scanner, get a photo, then four fingers on another scanner). We're OK. Head on past the baggage carousels and directly to the person directing traffic to the customs agents. Show her our Global Entry receipt, tell her that all we have is what we are carrying, and she directs us to a line that goes right to the exit. That was very fast! Just what we needed.

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Now we need to get to Terminal 5. We're in the International Terminal and that means that we've got a pretty long walk. Off we go at a brisk pace. Fortunately, our packs are pretty light. Still, we've had a long flight and we are tired. The need to get to our upcoming flight keeps us motivated. Finally, we get to the escalator that takes us up to the departure level at Terminal 5 and we walk the short distance to the security check. Fortunately, Pre-Check allows us to wait in a short line.

Then it is through the TSA scanning and we can head to the gate. Whew.

We made it with about fifteen minutes to spare.

The flight from LAX to SAN takes just about a half hour. But the plane requires time to get departure clearance, taxi to the runway and await its turn to take off. At this point it is easy to fall asleep.

Time to wake up; we’ve landed. We're back in San Diego. Out of the terminal and walk to the pickup location for Uber (and similar) transportation. Call for a ride. When it comes, we find that we're sharing it with another couple. No problem. We are dropped off first at Hotel Solamar.

It is not yet noon and most hotels have a check-in time of 3:00 PM. Fortunately, they do have a room for us and we head upstairs (10th floor) for a much needed collapse.

We're able to get ourselves together after a few hours of nap. It is midafternoon and we need to stretch. We head out of the hotel and start walking by heading to the bayside area along the Conventional Center.

There are a lot of fancy yachts. Many big ones. Then we loop back by walking through the lobby of the Hyatt. We are passing through this hotel to see the paintings by Rick Chase (a family friend). What? The peacock has been replaced with a picture of surf. And the country scenes are gone, too. What had been elegant is now mundane. Too bad. We wonder what has happened to these important paintings.

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Then back along the streets. We are making a few wrong turns. But that is OK. Finally, we get to the Solamar Hotel and it is time for Happy Hour. Some wine and then up to the room.

Nancy had requested a hotel "welcome package," and after some prodding, it appeared. This package is an occasional benefit of being a faithful Kimpton customer. You get a good bottle of wine along with cheese and grapes. This is almost enough for dinner. We decide to top it off with a room-service hamburger that we can share. This added food comes soon and we have a nice time debriefing without the effort or stress of finding a restaurant.

Figure 76 The "welcome package" from the Solamar Hotel.

Time to sleep. We've got another early flight in the morning.

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Wednesday -- Back to Hawaii 3:00 AM. We are up. Abruptly. Quick shower. Pack a few things. Out the door. Check out. Send a message for an Uber ride.

The Uber car comes to the wrong block. We can tell as there are few cars on the street at this hour. The driver is clearly lost and when he heads out to go around the block, he is nearly hit by another car. In a few minutes the driver gets close enough to us that we can flag him down.

His car is in pretty bad shape (the rubber molding around one of the rear doors has come loose and it is a big job to get through this "lasso.") The ride to the airport is a most unusual route. Very illogical. We're glad when we get to the airport. This wasn’t the best of the Uber rides (but it was cheap).

Security is a bit unusual. We usually sail through TSA security. But this time, Kim gets a random security check done by a most unfriendly guard.

Then we go upstairs to wait for a few minutes for the Sky Club to open.

We've got just a half hour for some coffee and then we need to head to the gate. Our flight is one of the first of the day. Once our plane is loaded, the pilot says that we've got to wait until after the night-curfew before we can take off. We are eventually in the air and, as before, it isn't long before we are at LAX. This time we need to wait for a gate and then it is a slow process to get the walkway into position. Again, we're anxious about making it to our flight to HNL. We need to cross through the tunnel from Terminal 6 to Terminal 5. Fast walking, again. Reminder to self: always travel light. Head directly to the gate. There isn't time to visit the LAX Sky Club. We arrive at our gate in time. It isn't a long wait until we board our flight to Honolulu.

It has been a stressful few hours but we’ve made our airline connections.

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The rest is easy. About five hours of flying time. More movies. We buy a sandwich and have a glass of wine. Take a little time for some shuteye.

Finally, we're back in Hawaii. All that's left is to head to the taxi stand and take a ride home.

What a trip!

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Some Travel Details Schedule The following schedule is what we planned for our travel. Note that we did not detail our activities for Sydney except for the arrival necessities.

August 23 (Tuesday) 9:00 PM: LV HNL DL 1104 for SLC (6:06) 24 (Wednesday) 7:06 AM: AR SLC 8:40 AM: LV SLC DL 2295 for SAN (1:49) 9:29 AM: AR SAN TwoRed is parked in the SAN Economy Lot (Stop #5) 25 (Thursday) 26 (Friday) 27 (Saturday) 10:00 AM: Uber to Poinsettia Station [Note: we actually took the bus to Encinitas] 11:18 AM: Coaster 684 to Santa Fe Station [Note: we got the train in Encinitas] 12:14 PM: AR Santa Fe Station Bus 992 to SAN 4:15 PM: LV SAN DL 5732 for LAX (0:59) 5:14 PM: AR LAX 10:35 PM: LV LAX Virgin Australia 2 for SYD (14:45) 28 (Sunday) transit - International Date Line 29 (Monday) 6:20 AM: AR SYD Purchase Opal card for transportation ATM for cash Train from International Terminal to St. James station; walk to hotel 30 (Tuesday) An Australian Adventure Page 96

31 (Wednesday) September 1 (Thursday) 2 (Friday) 3 (Saturday) 4 (Sunday) 5 (Monday) 6 (Tuesday) 9:50 AM: LV SYD Virgin Australia 1 for LAX (13:40) transit - International Date Line 6:30 AM: AR LAX 8:40 AM: LV LAX DL 5689 to SAN (1:05) 9:45 AM: AR SAN 7 (Wednesday) 6:25 AM: LV SAN DL 5748 to LAX (1:06) 7:25 AM: AR LAX 8:30 AM: LV LAX DL 611 to HNL (5:53) 11:23 AM: AR HNL

Gear We each had a backpack (Hartmann Aviator Backpack) that holds little more than an extra set of clothes. We wear one set and the second set is partly designed for wet weather. On this trip we each took an Arcteryx rain jacket and a Feathered Friends down jacket. We each had a few shirts of varying weights as we were not sure of the temperatures.

Nancy wore a heavy Icebreaker sweater while Kim had his mid-weight Icebreaker jacket.

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We each carried a small shoulder bag (Waterfield Muzetto Leather Bag) for the things that we needed en route and while walking around Sydney.

Travel-specific items include Etymotic Research earphones with custom fit ear pieces. This lets us get high-quality audio (for example, the airplane sound system) while blocking out most of the ambient sound.

Our electronics were pretty minimal: Nancy took her iPhone6 and Kim had his Android Nexus 6P and a Pixel C tablet with keyboard. Kim also had a Feiyu Tech Summon, a gimbal-mounted video/still camera.

We always carry a bit of “emergency� gear. This includes a minimal medicine supply, simple first aid supplies and emergency money. We kept our plastic to a minimum, too. We had only the necessary identification, credit cards (two for each of us), bank card, and travel cards. We had our passports, of course. For this trip we each bought a nice leather passport wallet. This wallet also holds a few travel cards (e.g., Sky Club) and has room to tuck some bills and boarding passes. It proved to be a nice addition to our travel gear.

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Travelers

Figure 77 Nancy at the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains.

Figure 78 Kim at the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains.

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